Final Flight
by ladyamethyst21
Summary: A short Astrid-centred story, can't really describe plot without spoilers! Emotional. Rated it T for the premise which might not be for littlies. Does not contain sex or violence, It's called Final Flight for a reason, consider yourself warned. Reviews very welcome!


**This little slice of story slid into my head one day while I was writing 'Crossing the Line' (my other Hiccstrid fanfic, check it out if so inclined! Lemon warning, rated M) and it wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote it out. So I did. I'm not giving it a time frame, for reasons that will become obvious, though I hope it's waaayyyy beyond HTTYD3. And even though it made me cry like a baby while I was writing, I like it. I think it's kinda beautiful. And I like to hope that something like this might be waiting for all of us. I wouldn't mind so much.**

 **As always, reviews and comments would be most welcome. And as always, I don't own any of HTTYD, I just wish I lived there.**

Final Flight

She was falling. Falling like she had a hundred thousand times before but this time there would be no last minute swoop and catch. No soft landing. She wasn't afraid, only very lonely and very tired. She faced up, her blue eyes full of rain and grey cloud, so though she knew the ground must be rushing up to meet her she didn't know when. But she knew that it was really going to hur…

' _Bring her in, bring her in now! Use the table, I don't care, just push it off! Someone fetch Fishlegs!'_

' _What was she doing up there at her age? In this weather?'_

' _Waiting, she always says. Watching and waiting.'_

' _What was she expecting to see? Waiting for what?'_

' _I don't know, she's as stubborn as an old yak, you know that, nobody can stop her when she has an idea in her head, not anymore!_

' _Fishlegs, thank Thor, help me! What can we do?'_

She opened her eyes, mildly surprised to find that she still could. Even more surprisingly, nothing hurt. Flat on her back, she wriggled cautiously. No, no pain at all. Not even the everyday niggles she was resigned to. And the weather had changed too, where had that endless blue sky come from? Sitting up, she gasped. She was on the edge of an unfamiliar cliff, sitting in bright sun on the greenest grass, overlooking the bluest ocean. Behind her, a thick wood brooded under a sky beginning to purple with coming twilight. Where on Midguard was she?

' _This is bad, this is very very bad, how high was she?'_

' _Does it matter? High! Do something. Do it Fishlegs, you're our Gothi, do it now!'_

' _I am! Someone fetch hot water.'_

Actually, it didn't matter. She didn't give a damn; gorgeous as this place seemed all it meant was that there would be more long, lonely, leaden days to get through. She lay back and closed her eyes again, feeling the sadness settle back around her. It was a heavy coat she'd worn so long she barely remembered what it felt like to be without it. It could be kept at bay, but nothing was enough to make it go away completely. Some days she could bear it, some days it buried her alive.

' _Can you sit her up? She needs to drink this.'_

' _I can't, look at those bones! It'll hurt her!'_

' _Spoon it in then. I'll set her arm.'_

In the darkness, she willed the world away. But still the sun warmed her, the waves shushed, the air smelled sweet, crisp and clear, an early spring morning. Hadn't it been winter when she fell? Surely she remembered ice. A sudden noise crashed through the trees behind, it sounded like massive feet pounding towards her. She refused to move. Whatever it was could eat her if it liked, she was past caring. The footsteps halted at her head and a shadow fell across her face as something seemingly huge leaned over to nudge her hands. Turning her palm up, she felt something pebbled, leathery and somehow familiar. She scratched at it, experimentally, and was rewarded with a bubbling chuckle. Very slowly, she opened her eyes and gradually the thing came into focus, upside down. It _was_ huge, black as night with two luminous green eyes and a mouth split wide in an improbable gummy smile. "Toothless?"

' _Oh my Thor, she's gone so pale!'_

' _It's the blood, she's lost so much. She's bleeding again here, quick, put your hand there. Now press and don't let go.'_

' _You have to help her Fishlegs! You just have to! Please.'_

' _I'm doing the best I can! More hot water!'_

"Toothless? Toothless!" It was, she knew it instantly. Twisting up she threw herself at the dragon's belly, scratching and tickling, the two of them rolling over and over in the grass. She laughed aloud as she couldn't remember doing in forever and fell, breathless to lean on his side. Toothless poked at her with his nose and growled again, this time a question. Her heart sank as she watched him casting his eyes around the clifftop.

"It's no good boy, he won't be here. He's been gone almost as long as you have."

Shock brought her up short. She snapped round to look Toothless in the eye, staring at his incontrovertible bulk.

"You. You can't be here. You can't _be_ anywhere! You're gone, just like him. You're both gone, you are, I know it. I lived it!" Her voice broke on the words. "What is this? You're gone, you're both gone!"

The longed-for voice came softly from behind her, turning her to water,

"Oh Milady, where would I ever go without you?"

' _Hold her down! Keep her still! She has to be still!'_

' _Her heart's racing. Is that right? Is it the herbs?'_

' _It's a side effect. Here, take this and make her swallow it.'_

' _Fishlegs please, tell me she's going to be alright. Please!'_

If she hadn't been sitting, she would have fallen. Terrified, she turned agonisingly slowly, not daring to think, to hope, not for one second. But there he was. Tall and straight-backed against the sky, freckled, green-eyed and chestnut haired, dressed in his ridiculous leather flying suit. Caught half-way between boy and man, just as she had always seen him from the moment she first really _saw_ him. He smiled and the sun came out from behind the clouds, warming her to the bones. Throat tight, words rasped out past the tears running unnoticed down her cheeks,

"No. You were lost. Weren't you? They told me, I'm sure they did. They all told me. You were lost."

"You've found me."

"Where have you _been_?" It was almost a howl.

"Here," he replied gently, coming to kneel at her trembling side, "I've been here. Waiting. Watching and waiting."

"For what?"

"For you," he said simply, "of course, for you."

' _Is she supposed to be shaking like this? Is she cold?'_

' _It's shock. She's going into shock. This is bad. I don't know if she's strong enough for this!'_

' _She can take anything, she always has. Don't give up.'_

' _I won't, I won't.'_

He stood and held out his hand. It took all her courage to take it, but it was there, solid and warm and sure. He pulled her to her feet and into his arms. It was like diving into a cool stream, like putting down an endless burden, like waking from a long sleep. It was coming alive, coming home.

"It's been…" she started. But there was no way to put into words how it had been.

"I know. I do know. But now you're here!" His sudden grin was startling, joyous, "Shall we go?"

"Go?" She looked back towards the trees where Toothless had emerged. The shadows between the trunks had deepened; the skies above spreading black like spilled ink. She shivered.

"Not that way!" he laughed, spinning her to face the sea, sun sparkling on the waves below in invitation, "That way. Out there."

' _She's quiet now. Is that a good sign?'_

' _It might be. But remember, she's not young. This is still serious.'_

' _How serious?'_

' _Very. I can give her this dose, and then we just have to wait.'_

"How?" she asked, "On Toothless?" The dragon, hearing his name, bounced up to stand with them and pushed under her hand for a scratch. His tongue flapped out and she couldn't help but smile at his face, so comically excited.

"Sure. He missed you too."

She shook her head, suddenly shy. Surely he had seen? "I'm too old for flying. I got too old. Old and worn out. "

"Did you?" He lifted her hand for her to look at. "Never." And she saw that it was true. Her skin was smooth and pink, unlined, her fingers straight, moving easily as she wriggled them. Incredulous, she stepped back and spun on her heel, lifted her arms and, daring, performed an immaculate backflip. Exhilarated, she did it again and again until finally she met his eyes, panting and giggling at the same time.

"See? You're perfect, as always." He climbed up into Toothless' saddle and patted the spot behind him. "Shall we?"

' _Why are you stopping? We can't stop, try something else!'_

' _I'm sorry, I'm so sorry but there's nothing else I can do. I've done everything I know. Everything anyone knows! It's out of my hands now.'_

' _No! Not her, not her too! Not now, I need her, we all need her! Do you hear me? We need you, come back!'_

Eager, she grabbed the harness to pull herself up but, though every piece of her wanted to join him on Toothless' back, something pulled her gaze back towards those trees. She could barely now make out the individual trunks, so dark were the shadows. The blackness of the sky was nearly complete, unbroken by any star.

"Isn't there somewhere I'm supposed to be? I can almost…isn't there someone who needs…something I'm meant to be doing?"

' _I don't know how she's hanging on like this. It's been days. You should prepare yourself.'_

' _Please. Oh please, I'm not ready.'_

"No." His voice was gentle, regretful, "That's all done. You did everything. And you did a great job, an amazing job. But it's all done now. There's this." His gesture took in the three of them and the endless vista of sea and sky. "If you're ready?"

She hesitated still, torn, eyes searching the void for...something. Someone? "But…"

' _You have to let her go now. Let her know it's ok to go'_

' _How Fishlegs? How can I?'_

' _Just talk to her. Tell her what she needs to hear.'_

' _Right. You're right. Don't listen.'_

"Milady. Stormfly will be waiting."

She gasped and turned back to see him smiling once again, "Stormfly? She's here?"

"Of course! And Heather, Dagur, the twins. All here."

"Fishlegs?"

A shrug. "He'll be along."

She narrowed her eyes in mock severity, " _Snotlout_?"

His laugh burst loudly out and she felt her heart might burst too at the familiar sound. "Even Snotlout." Leaning down, he whispered conspiratorially, "But I know _lots_ of places to hide."

' _She looks so peaceful now. Happy. Gods, I'm going to miss her.'_

' _Me too. We'll stay with her. It won't be long.'_

Laughing now too, she threw herself up into the saddle behind him and wrapped her arms tightly around his chest. Looking one last time back at the blackness she asked, "What _is_ that?"

"Just the end of your day, that's all. It comes. Nothing to be afraid of. Shall we go see what the other side of the dawn looks like?"

She was not afraid. "Yes. Yes, let's go bud!"

Toothless leapt into the air and as they climbed she felt all the long, lonely, empty days falling away, insubstantial as dried autumn leaves. The world was the wings under her, the wind around her, the sun on her face and the man in her arms. She shouted over the rushing air, "I suppose this means I'm stuck with you two! For… how long?"

"Let's just say you're stuck with us."

"Hiccup, I can't imagine a world without you in it."

He turned to look at her over his shoulder. His grin was a promise and the world was in his eyes. "Astrid, you never have to."

Together, they turned their backs to the fallen night and flew toward their new morning.

' _There. It's over'_

' _I'm sorry Fishlegs; I know you were good friends.'_

' _The best. Do you want me to tell…?'_

' _No. No thank you. It's my duty. I'll go. You'll stay with her?'_

' _Of course.'_

 _Taking one last look at the still form and the quietly weeping healer, the girl stood, straightened her thick chestnut braid and opened the door. The silence from the waiting crowd hammered at her with its awful question. What should she say? What were the right words?_

 _Needing the warmth, she tilted her face to look at the sun, and blinked in surprise. For a moment she had seen, surely she had seen! wide black wings crossing the brightness. Heading towards the light. A tiny smile rose to her lips and there were the right words after all. Thumbing the tears from her eyes, Chief Valka Storm Hofferson-Haddock the First turned to her tribe. 'Prepare a longship. My Mother has joined my Father in Valhalla.'_


End file.
